How to Use Journaling On Your Scrapbook Page

Every scrapbooker knows the importance of journaling when it comes to your scrapbook page. Sure you can have a great layout along with great pictures and embellishments but without some kind of journaling there is always something missing. Journaling tells the story of the picture if the picture could actually talk. It helps portray emotion, sentimentality, and personality on a scrapbook page. This article will give you some basic ideas on how to use journaling on your scrapbook page to help tie everything together.

What is journaling?

First of all let’s take a look at what journaling really is. There are several different types of journaling you can use when it comes to scrapbooking. The most basic way of understanding it however is to “tell a story.” If you think about every time you have sat down with family to show them pictures you are often times telling them the story behind the picture and even reliving the actual event. This is essentially what you are trying to do when you journal on your scrapbook page. When you think about journaling however you need to take it one step further and imagine that generations from now someone might find your scrapbook and want to know the story behind the pictures. What would you want them to know? What moments would you want them to see and try to relate to? Journaling allows you to pass your stories through time and generations. There other types of journaling as well though; poetry, quotes, and titles are also considered to be a form of journaling and can also help portray emotion and personality through your scrapbook page.

How to journal in your scrapbook?

Since every scrapbooker is different and will choose different ways to journal this is not really a “how to” rather it is a “what kinds” of journal can you use in your scrapbook layouts. There are several different ways you can do it:

Handwriting. A most popular way to use journaling on your scrapbook pages is by using your own handwriting. This definitely adds a personal touch to your page and generations from now it’s nice to see a great grandmother’s own personal handwriting in her scrapbook. Especially in this day and age when technology runs rampant, it is nice to see some good old fashioned handwriting.

Computer journaling. If you don’t necessarily like your own handwriting and would like things to move just a little faster then try using the computer to record your thoughts and stories. The nice thing about the computer is that it will check your grammar and spelling, and usually allows you to fit more on the scrapbook page than handwriting would allow.

Titles, Quotes, and Poems. Although these may not tell the entire story you may find that you have pages where you don’t need a long excerpt or story written. That’s where cute titles, quotes and poems come in handy. They can help tell part of the story and tell a little bit of the emotion of the pictures but they don’t take up a ton of room.

Stickers. Using stickers is also another way to use journaling on your scrapbook pages. Sometimes you can find the perfect saying on a sticker as you’re looking in the store rather than making something up yourself.

Journaling is an important part of scrapbooking. You can capture the emotion and personality of your picture using journaling and with so many different ways to journal in your scrapbook; you’re bound to find something that works for you.